Churches were overflowing with attenders this Christmas Eve. Service schedules
were tweaked and chairs were added for the excess people, but I wonder how many
folks will be back next Sunday? Church attendance is a hot topic in pastoral
circles. In response, many churches offer cooler
bands, hipper worship, edgier programming and uber impressive technology. While
these aren’t innately bad ideas and may be effective, are they really what will
draw someone back to God in a lasting and meaningful way? So what will
bring you back to church next week? I bet it’s not frothy coffee, trendy speakers
or contemporary music. I’m leaning towards authenticity. The sacraments. Things
like baptism, confession and meaningful communion. Relevant preaching from the Word,
anointing the sick and community prayer…you know, those strange rituals and
traditions that Christians have been practicing for the past 2,000+ years. So get
a cup of coffee with your friends at Starbucks. But in church get some ashes
s…

I suppose that the angels,
who announced His coming, were the only ones who truly knew what was going on.
And, I find it interesting that besides some curious shepherds and adventurous
astrologers that almost everyone else missed it. It is - Immanuel, God with us;
God beside us; God in us. For many, the time between Thanksgiving and New Years
can be so busy, so hectic, that we too miss the magic and the mystery that
surrounds each December 25th. Christmas, by its design, was intended to change
the world. There are simple acts of love and compassion, that we can perform
right now, that will embody the Christ in Christmas. As we head into the final
week before the holiday, birth Gods love to a cynical world - make someone’s
Christmas memorable, be "The Gift"

Hanukkah or Chanukkah is probably one of the best-known Jewish holidays, not because
of any great religious significance, but because of its proximity to Christmas.
The miracle of the one-day
supply of oil amazingly lasting eight days is first described in the Talmud
and also preserved in the books of the First
and Second Maccabees, which describe in detail the
re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem and the lighting of the menorah. Each
night, throughout the eight-day holiday, a candle or oil-based light, is lit.
The number of lights lit is increased by one each night. “…TheLight shinesin the darkness, and the darkness can never
extinguish it...” For Christians, Hanukkah represents a perfect time
to kindle the lights of our faith, in the hope and confidence of the things not
yet seen. Shalom…PKES #minmchurch #Churchpearland #GatherGrowGo

“…Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth
will be…”One of, if
not, the most valuable resources on earth is...time. It’s a gift from God. It
can’t be renewed or recycled, nor is it for sale. You can’t earn,
steal, or otherwise acquire even an instant of extra time. Time comes to
us all at the same rate, never in surplus or deficit. As I grow older in my faith I’ve come to
realize that not only is time a God-given resource, it’s one that I need to
better manage. Charles Darwin wrote: “A man who dares to waste
one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.” As we get deeper into the holiday season and closer to Christmas,
consider this question: Why has God given you His generous gift of time?#Psalm39#minmchurch #churchpearland

I did a Google search of “What are Christians against” The inquiry netted about 83,400,000 results. Eight-three million! I want to be known by what I'm for, not against. I think many Christians are getting wrapped up in what they’re against and are truly loosing sight of what they stand for. For some reason Christians are not very effective at explaining to non-Christians why they believe what they believe. They can tell unbelievers what they shouldn't do, but ....This can’t be all that hard, it’s not rocket science. God’s love, not His judgment is what really transforms people’s heart. Not arguments. Not proof-texting or using scripture out of context to establish a point. What changes lives are encounters with a living God and with those who are close to Him. Make it a point today look beyond the things that separate us and rally together to take care of the important: the poor, the orphan, the widow, and the oppressed…Shalom, Pastor Keith #minmchurch #churchpearland

Diversity and tolerance are hot topics in
societal circles these days. I think
God delights in the plethora of differences His human creatures possess. John
the Revelator wrote: "...I looked,
and there was a great number of people, so many that no one could count them.
They were from every nation, tribe, people, and language of the earth...." Here the Book of Revelation describes the final gathering of God’s people,
all are different. Human differences are to be celebrated,
tolerated, and incorporated in our goal of being “one” in our maker. However,
when diversity is misused or distorted; when it becomes a political slogan;
when it's treated as sacred; when diversity itself is revered rather than the
One who created diversity, then it's time to reexamine our fervor. Is your
motive for tolerance and diversity motivate by love, forgiveness and grace or
selfishness and hatred? Going a little deeper this Sunday. Peace...Pastor Keith

"A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper" and “Gentle speech breaks down rigid defenses” According to the Wisdom of Proverbs, gentleness soothes many personal conflicts. It disarms critics. It’s persuasive and attractive. It communicates love. It’s what's inside of us that can’t be manufactured. Consider the saying: What's in the well comes up in the bucket. The metaphor of the well is what's deep inside of us. Our tenderness ought to surface when we get stressed, tapped-out, or pushed to the limits. Gentleness is the fruit of God’s Spirit inside of us bubbling up when circumstances say otherwise. I think a gentle spirit during trying times is a true mark of maturity. Wise, mature people are pleasant, kindhearted and in control. Fools and dunderheads are rude and uncouth. What's likely to come up in your bucket when things in life get a little weird? Proverbs 15:1 & Proverbs 25:15 (MSG)#minmchurch #churchpearland

The Christian life is not just about a personal relationship with God, even if personal faith and responsibility are absolutely necessary. When too much emphasis is placed on a privatize salvation, we run the potential of getting so much wrong.

Avoid the draw to escape church citizenry. Becoming a disciple of Christ was never meant to be a solo expedition. Doing so means we expose ourselves to totally missing the opportunity to see the Eternal and His Holy Spirit in action: in real communities, in actual churches, in non-partisan politics, in obvious differences, in honest-to-goodness marriages, in authentic social discussions and during hard theological disagreements. You can't go it alone. Following Jesus shouldn’t be about intellectual assent, but rather it's communal activity, where-by we help ensure we don’t run the risk of missingthe Word who came to dwell among us. Consider that believing in Jesus and being mentored by the Holy Ghost is largely a group activity, albeit a…

Are you holding a close secret? Are you mum on something you're not supposed to tell anyone? If you’re like many folks I’ve met, you’re holding ‘something or other’ pretty close to your vest. And in doing so, as SNL’s Mike Myers would say: “Oh, I'm getting a little verklempt (farklempt). Most stuff is worth sharing, especially with the right person. While sharing personal “stuff” might seem like an invasion of privacy, it’s so worth the “vulnerability hangover”It’s worth being misunderstood and misrepresented. There’s desirability in discomfort. It's worth the death of your self-image and maybe even your brand. There’s benefit to owning up to what’s inside, no matter how difficult, because as the Psalmist wrote: Hidden things will always come out into the open. Secret things will come to light and be exposed.[1] Secrets bring bondage, sharing brings freedom. Freedom. Here’s what happens when you finally drop the act, when you finally admit that you're not fine, when you …

“..Like a sheep to a shearing, like a lamb to be slaughtered, he went—oh so quietly, oh so willingly..”The crucifixion of Christ, the awful marriage of human sinfulness and the pinnacle of divine grace, must remain an enduring mystery, a mystery of my faith — Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. Good Friday calls on me to take another look, to remember, His death. ~Selah~ So in my exuberance to treasure all the beauty that is Easter, I must be careful not to scurry past Good Friday. Easter alone does not make Christianity unique. It’s Good Friday, coupled with Easter, where we find the uniqueness of Christianity. As you contemplate the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus, I pray that God will reveal his unfathomable love for you in new ways. May you know the love of the one who gave his life for you…#Pkes #MinMChurch #MetroLifeChurch